circum sacra (s[schwa]r-k[schwa]m say-kr[schwa]). [Law Latin] Hist. Eccles. law. Concerning sacred things. • The phrase appeared in reference to the church’s supreme jurisdiction over questions of doctrine, as distinguished from a civil court’s jurisdiction over other ecclesiastical matters.
decreta (di-kree-t[schwa]), n. [Latin “decisions”] Roman law. Judgments of magistrates; esp., sentences pronounced by the emperor as the supreme judge. See DECRETUM. “Decreta. In Roman law decisions of magistrates given after investigation of a case by cognitio… and in particular, decisions of the emperor as judge of first instance after trial by cognitio, or as
religion. A system of faith and worship usu. involving belief in a supreme being and usu. containing a moral or ethical code; esp., such a system recognized and practiced by a particular church, sect, or denomination. • In construing the protections under the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause, courts have interpreted the term